IRELAND
Irish Independent
Eilish O’Regan
Published 17/07/2014
BABIES who were born illegitimate were nearly four times more likely to die than those whose mothers were married up until 1950, a new report on the background to the mother and baby homes controversy has revealed.
The report was drawn up to provide a background to the promised Commission of Investigation into treatment of mothers and babies at the homes.
But Children’s Minister James Reilly, who announced Judge Yvonne Murphy will chair the commission, said yesterday he will not be ready with terms of reference for the statutory inquiry until the autumn – and insisted it is too early to say how far it will extend.
Asked if all the Protestant-run homes and Magdalene Laundries will be included, he said: “It would be too premature for me to say they will at this stage. I am not by any means saying that they will not be.”
The report drew criticism from Derek Leinster, chair of the Bethany survivors group, who feared not all Protestant-run homes will be included. He pointed to the report’s caution about not reinvestigating institutions covered by the Ryan Commission.
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